31 Days of Halloween
by KaibaGirl17
Summary: A series of humor and horror one-shots to celebrate Halloween. Rated T for some later chapters.
1. The Voice

A/N: Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the first in a series of Halloween one-shots that will star the Arclight brothers, the Kamishiro twins, the Tenjo brothers, and the Tsukumo siblings. I already have several requests for each from different authors and I hope everyone enjoys this first one (not a request). No flames.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

Thomas Arclight lived with his older brother, Christopher, and his younger brother, Michael, and their father in a large house on the outskirts of Heartland City.

Often times when Thomas's school let out, Byron was still at work, and Chris was walking Michael home for their school, so the middle Arclight brother was often alone when he came home, but Chris and Micheal usually came home maybe ten or fifteen minutes later, half an hour at the latest.

When Thomas came home this particular afternoon, he noticed that the lights were on, despite it being only three o'clock and still light outside.

"Chris?" the red-and-yellow-haired child called out.

He then heard a voice coming from upstairs call "Yes?"

"Chris?" Thomas tried again.

"Yes?" the voice called again.

At first the nine-year-old Arclight thought that his brother was calling him, but then he felt uneasy. But, he tried to push the uneasiness he felt away as he climbed the stairs.

Once he'd reached the top floor, he called his older brother's name once again.

"Yes?"

The voice was coming from the first room on the left. That was the guest room but it was rarely, if ever, used.

Thomas swallowed hard. He felt uneasy but he wanted to see his brother, to know that nothing was wrong.

Just as the scarlet-eyed Arclight child prepared to open the door, he heard the front door open.

"Thomas? Are you home yet?" he heard Michael call out.

"Thomas," he heard Chris.

Hearing the voices of his older and younger brother made Thomas's heartbeat slow and he felt instantly better. He turned and went back down the stairs.

He decided he had just been paranoid. After all, there was no way anyone could have gotten into the house.

Right?

...

...

So, how was it? Let me know.

I'll be updating every day of this month.

Next chapter: A request from BlueButterflyRose: Quinton never seems frightened of anything. So Quattro and Trey make a bet to see who can scare him.

Until then.


	2. The Bet

A/N: Well, here is the new chapter. Thank you to Dark Yugi for the one review. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Still not Shin Yoshida, still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal.

...

"Quinton's not afraid of anything," Trey declared one Halloween afternoon. He and Quattro sat together in the living room. Trey had just brought out some tea and was now sitting in the chair next to the window, reading a book, and Quattro was lounging on the couch, reoraganizing his deck.

"Please," the older Arclight snorted. "Everyone's afraid of something, even Quinton. And I'll bet you that I can find out what it is before you, pipsqueak."

Trey frowned. Quattro had taken to calling him that a lot lately.

"Fine, you've got yourself a bet," the pinknette shot back, hoping to put his older brother in his place.

"Alright then," his sadistic older brother grinned. "Loser has to watch cartoons with Vetrix for a week and braid part of their hair like Vetrix for a whole day."

"Deal," Trey nodded.

The two brothers smirked at each other and shook hands.

...

Trey snickered as he placed a skeleton mask over his face.

"Quinton, could you please come here for a moment?" he called.

"I'll be right there," came the eldest brother's reply.

A few seconds later, the door to Vetrix's lair opened and closed.

Quinton walked down the hall.

Right as he came up to Trey's room, the pink-haired teen leaped out with a terrifying growl.

Quinton blinked and stared blankly at his brother.

"Aw come on!" Trey exclaimed, pulling off the mask. "How can you _not_ be scared of this?"

"Look at our father, Trey," the silver-haired twenty-year-old answered. " **Nothing** scares me anymore."

...

Quattro smirked at his brother's pitiful attempt to scare their older brother. He would show how it was done.

The red-and-yellow-haired teen went to his brother's room and hid under the bed. When Quinton came in, he would hear noises coming from beneath the bed and that would surely frighten him.

The door opened and Quinton entered the room.

Before Quattro could set his plan into motion, his brother kicked off his shoes and threw them under the bed.

"OW! Damn!" Quattro cried out as one of the shoes hit him in the right cheek.

"Quattro?" the sheets were pulled up to reveal a surprised and somewhat irritated Quinton. "What are you doing under there?"

"I was...looking for my Gimmick Puppet Nightmare," his brother answered.

"And you thought it would be in here?" Quinton raised his eyebrows.

"You never know," was Quattro's reply as he crawled out from under the bed.

...

"I can't believe this," Quattro growled. "All day long we've tried. But nothing works."

"Maybe he's just not scared of anything," Trey said. "I told you."

"Oh, stop rubbing it in," his older brother snapped.

Trey laughed softly before turning to go to the kitchen to get a snack. Unfortunately, the youngest Arclight brother didn't see the napkin on the floor.

"Trey!" Quinton had come into the room just in time to see his youngest brother hit the floor.

The silvernette hurried over.

"Are you alright?" he asked, kneeling beside Trey.

"Yeah," the fifteen-year-old duelist answered. "I think I'm alright."

...

"Be careful next time," Quinton said, looking down at Trey, who was now sitting in the chair once again. "You really had me actually scared, for once."

"I'll be careful, brother," Trey replied with a soft smile.

Quinton nodded before returning to Vetrix's side to once again discuss their plan, the plan they still had not informed either Trey or Quattro.

"Did you hear that?" Trey asked, turning to Quattro. "He said he was scared."

"Yeah, yeah, I was there," Quattro snapped.

Suddenly it hit him...

"No. Oh no, that was an accident," he insisted. "That doesn't count."

"The bet was whoever could find out what could scare him," Trey said. "And I found out it was one of us getting hurt. So technically I win."

Quattro continued to protest for another twenty minutes before sighing and reluctantly conceding to Trey's point.

...

"Quattro, why is your hair-" Quinton began.

"Finish that sentence and I hack _all_ of your hair off," was the only thing he got in response.

...

...

So, how was it? Let me know.

Next chapter: A request from Durbe the Barian; Rio wants to dress up as Gagaga Magician Girl and Ryoga as a Gagaga Magician, but Ryoga doesn't want to. Hilarity of course ensues.


	3. Magician Twins

A/N: Here is chapter three. Thank you to Bakorra Kaiba, FoxLover96, and theabridgedkuriboh for the reviews on chapter 2. Also an additional thanks to FoxLover96, and theabridgedkuriboh for the additional reviews on chapter 1. Enjoy this brand new chapter, everyone.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

"Come on, Ryoga!" Rio Kamishiro pleaded.

"No!" Ryoga snapped. "I'm not doing it!"

The nine-year-old twins were preparing for Halloween. Ryoga, who at twelve was determined to prove that he was too mature for something as trivial as dressing up. Rio on the other hand, had already picked out a set of costumes for them both: Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Magician Girl.

"I'm not wearing it!" Ryoga shouted again, hurling the costume off his bed before flopping down onto it.

"Please!" his sister continued to beg. "Come on, Ryoga. Do it for me?"

"Rio, I said no," the purple-haired boy snapped. "Seriously, can't you get it through your thick head?"

Rio glared at him, tears of frustration in her pink eyes.

"Fine!" she snapped. "I just thought it would be fun! Ever since Mom and Dad died we never get the chance to do anything fun together!"

Without another word, the blue-haired little girl turned and darted from the room.

Ryoga's eyes widened and his mouth fell into a look of shock. Rio only wanted for the two of them to dress up together because she thought it would be fun for Halloween...

"Rio...I..."

...

Rio finally stopped her angry crying and decided that she would just go as Gagaga Magician Girl alone. She would have preferred to dress up with Ryoga, but if he was going to be that way about it, then she wasn't going to let that ruin her fun.

As she opened the door to go get her costume, she saw Ryoga standing in the doorway. The older Kamishiro twin was wearing...

"Your Gagaga Magician costume!" Rio squealed. "You're wearing it!"

"Yeah," Ryoga said, pulling the cap down over his face in order to hide the fact that he was blushing furiously.

"Yay!" Rio clapped and threw her arms around her brother. "I'll go get my costume and we can go!"

"Okay," Ryoga smiled weakly as his sister turned and ran to her room to get her costume.

He wasn't crazy about dressing up, but it made Rio happy.

...

...

I hope everyone enjoyed that.

Next chapter: Kite takes Hart trick-or-treating for the first time in years. Of course, Kite being the protective big brother he is, he's leaving nothing to chance.

Until then.


	4. Kite's Candy Analysis

A/N: Sorry this is a little late, couldn't get to the computer last night. But no worries, now you get two chapters at once. Thank you to skydragonknight57, Zexalloverforever39, and FoxLover96 for all the great reviews on the previous chapter. Enjoy, everyone.

Disclaimer: I am not Shin Yoshida and therefore, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal.

...

"Thanks for taking me trick-or-treating tonight, Kite," Hart said, beaming up at his older brother and carrying a bag bulging with an assortment of sugary treats. "I had a great time."

Kite smiled and patted his brother's head.

"I'm glad," he said. He meant that. Hart had gone through so much in the last few months, so when the child begged to be able to go trick-or-treating, Kite didn't have the heart to refuse.

Hart had decided to dress up as a pumpkin.

When the brothers returned to Heartland Tower, Kite took Hart's candy bag.

"We need to have this checked," he said.

"Kite, it's okay-" Hart started.

"No, Hart," Kite interrupted. "You're supposed to have your candy checked before you eat any of it. Orbital! Get over here, you lazy bucket of bolts."

"M-Master K-Kite!" Orbital yelped. "H-here I am!"

"Here, I need you to analyze Hart's candy and make sure that it's completely safe," Kite ordered, handing over the heavy treat bag.

"Yes, Sir!" the robot saluted before taking the bag and beginning to examine it.

"Kite, don't you think you're being a little paranoid?" Hart questioned.

"I'm just flying on the side of cautiousness," his big brother replied.

"I know," Hart smiled. "You're just trying to protect me, like you always do. And I'm glad you care so much, but Kite not everyone out there is out to hurt me."

"You never know, Hart," Kite said, kneeling to eye-level with his brother and placing his hands on his shoulders. "Not everyone out there is as kind as you are, little brother."

Hart sighed and nodded.

"Scanning complete," Orbital reported. "N-no harmful substances de-detected, other than copious amounts of sugar, artificial coloring, and transfats."

"It's safe then," Kite picked up the bag of the now analyzed candy. "Here you go, Hart."

"Thanks, big brother!" Hart grinned, picking up his bag.

"Just don't eat all of that at once," Kite warned as his little brother ran from the room.

"Ma-Master Kite, don't you think you're just a t-tad o-overprotective of him?" Orbital questioned.

Kite turned and gave his robot companion an icy glare.

"Orbital can it before I can you."

...

...

I hope everyone enjoyed that.

Next chapter: The gang telling ghost stories, that's all the hint you get.

Until then, everyone.


	5. Ghost Stories

A/N: Alright guys, finally back on track. Thanks to FoxLover96 and theabridgedkuriboh for the awesome reviews on the previous chapter. And an additional thanks to theabridgedkuriboh for the additional review on chapter 3. Enjoy, everyone.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does. I also do not own any of these scary stories.

...

"And when he went to open the car door, he saw it..." Bronk paused dramatically. "Right there on the handle...was a bloody hook."

"Oh come on, I heard scarier stories than that when I was still in diapers," Quattro snorted.

"As much as I don't want to admit it, he's right," Shark said. He then gave Bronk a menacing glare. "I hate you for making me say that."

"Alright, my turn!" Yuma piped up. "You're all gonna be curled up and rocking when I'm done."

"Oh boy, Yuma has a scary story, I can't wait to hear this one," Quattro rolled his eyes.

"Okay, there was a boy digging at the edge of the garden," Yuma began. "That's when he saw-"

"A big toe and later whatever possessed the toe came into his house to get it back," Kite finished. "Yuma, we've all heard that story so many times, the only thing scary is when someone attempts, and fails, to imitate the monster."

"Aw come on guys," Yuma whined. "You could've at least let me finish it. The hook story's been told at least a million times and you let Bronk finish."

"We were passed out from boredom," Shark teased.

Bronk frowned.

"You want a scary story, I'll tell you a scary story," Quattro said with a smirk.

"Show us how it's done, oh wise narrator of horror," Quinton couldn't help but say.

Rather than snap at him, Quattro gave his older brother a sadistic grin and nodded.

"Alright, it was just after New Year's and the city was still in a festive uproar," the red-and-yellow-haired duelist began. "There were plays, street performers, the whole nine yards. However, one performer stood out among the others. He was a puppetmaster. But rather than the usual puppets seen at the time, his were mostly children."

"This isn't exactly what I'd call scary," Shark interrupted. "It sounds more like a corny holiday story."

"I'm getting to the scary part," Quattro glared.

Quinton shook his head.

"I know this story, he's told it before," the silver-haired Arclight said. "When we were growing up, he heard it and told it-"

"And I had nightmares for a month," Trey finished, tossing Quattro an annoyed look.

Quattro responded with an apathetic shrug.

"As I was saying," the middle Arclight continued, "People marveled at the puppets. 'So lifelike' they said. 'Oh look at their eyes, they shine just like real children's eyes.' The puppets were even the same size as a little boy or girl."

"This is getting creepy," Tori whispered.

"One night, a little boy was waiting for his mother to get off work so they could watch the puppets before going home," Quattro smirked as he went on. "The streets were dark and cold and he saw a tall, thin woman pulling a cart. He saw the bloody bodies of children heaped onto the cart, wrapped in sacks."

Rio shuddered.

"Gasping in terror, he hid in a bush and watched as the woman pushed the cart down the sidewalk to the theater where the puppetmaster performed, and carried into the cellar below.

The little boy was so terrified, when his mother finally got off work and found him, he was crying and begging her to get the police. But by the time the police took the story seriously enough, the puppetmaster and his wife, the woman who had collected children's bodies to use as puppets, were gone and so was all of the evidence of their crimes."

Everyone listened as Quattro paused.

"Now," the Gimmick Puppet duelist continued. "There are those that say to this day, the evil puppetmaster and his wife are still prowling the streets, looking for adorable children to turn into puppets. Which is exactly why Trey here always freaked out."

"It was your fault," Trey glared at his brother.

"Okay, that wasn't scary, but it was definitely creepy," Shark said.

...

...

Alright, I hope everyone enjoyed that.

Next chapter: Chris takes Michael and Thomas trick-or-treating.

Until then.


	6. Arclights Trick-or-Treating

A/N: Here is the new chapter. Thank you to theabridgedkuriboh, Zexalloverforever39, FoxLover96, and skydragonknight57 for all the reviews on chapter 5. Also, an additional thanks to Zexalloverforever39 for the additional review on chapter 4. Enjoy this new chapter everyone.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

"Chris!" Thomas called. "We're ready!"

Christopher Arclight came down the stairs to find his two younger brothers sitting on the couch in their costumes; Michael wore a fluffy lamb costume complete with a pink ribbon tied into a bow around his neck and Thomas was dressed as a puppet with black pants, a yellow long-sleeved shirt, white gloves, and a black and white vest. Black lines painted downward from the sides of his mouth and a hat with a feather completed the look.

The eldest Arclight couldn't help but smile. He himself had decided not to dress up, but was still going to take his brothers trick-or-treating.

"We're gonna get a mountain of candy this year," Thomas grinned.

"I don't know about that much," Chris laughed softly. "You're already naturally hyper."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Thomas smirked slightly.

"Sometimes it can be," Michael frowned.

Thomas stuck his tongue out.

"Thomas, that's not necessary," the pinknette replied.

"Well isn't that just too baaad," Thomas teased.

"Thomas, that's enough," Chris said.

"Fine," the red-and-yellow-haired boy replied, looking annoyed.

...

"I can't believe we got so much candy," Thomas said as they entered the house. Aspen, the family dog, got up from his bed in the corner of the living room, and scampered over to Thomas.

"No, Aspen," the ten-year-old said, holding up his candy bag out of the dog's reach. "This is my candy. You can have Michael's."

"No!" the little pinknette squealed, jumping on the couch and shielding his candy. "It's mine."

"Alright you two, it's almost nine-thirty, you need to get in bed," Chris told them.

"Awww!" both protested.

"You know when Father comes home, he'll expect to find you both asleep," their brother reminded them.

Conceding to their brother's logic, the two younger Arclights nodded and went to get ready for bed.

...

...

So, how was it? Let me know.

Next chapter: A request from BlueButterflyRose; Rio and Hart play a scary prank on Kite and Shark.

Until then.


	7. A Scary Prank

A/N: Here is the new chapter. Enjoy, everyone.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

Ryoga and Kite had been dueling for close to an hour.

Though the two had once been bitter enemies, Kite even taking Ryoga's soul once, now the two were actually on rather friendly terms, thanks mostly to Yuma.

Hart had come with his older brother and was currently being looked after by Rio.

"You really are a little cutie, aren't you?" Rio smiled at the child.

Hart smiled.

"Have you been feeling better?" the female Kamishiro twin asked.

The younger Tenjo brother nodded.

"Yeah, I've been doing better," he said. "Ever since everything went back to normal."

"That's good," Rio replied, patting the child's light blue hair.

"I just wish sometimes that Kite wasn't so protective of me," Hart sighed.

"It's just because he loves you," Rio told him. "He just wants to keep you safe because he cares about you. You're his baby brother and he doesn't want anything to happen to you. Trust me, I know. Ryoga's the same way."

"But you guys are twins."

"Ryoga's older by about four minutes," Rio shrugged. "But he's still really protective of me. Especially after I was in the hospital for over a year."

"But still," Hart said. "I bet Ryoga gets overprotective too."

"Sometimes," Rio admitted.

Suddenly, the blue-haired girl had an idea...

...

"So Hart's been doing better?" Shark asked, trying to break the ice. While he and Kite were no longer enemies, he knew that they were not that close unless Yuma was around, which he was not at the present time.

Kite nodded stiffly.

"Much better," the green-and-yellow-haired duelist answered. "I imagine that Rio's doing better too."

Before Ryoga could answer, the two heard a loud scream downstairs and the lights went out before turning right back on, followed by the sound of a door slamming.

"Hart!" Kite shouted.

"Rio!" Ryoga cried out.

" **I'M COMING!** " both teens shouted in unison before racing down the stairs.

...

When the two duelists reached the living room, a horrible sight awaited them: both Rio and Hart lay on the floor, blood falling from their mouths. Hart's head was tilted to the side at an odd angle.

"Hart! NO!" Kite fell to his knees beside his little brother. "Hart..."

"Rio!" Ryoga knelt at Rio's side. "Rio..."

Both Rio and Hart then turned and grinned at their brothers.

"Tricked you!" they said together.

"That wasn't funny!" Ryoga snarled. "You had us worried sick!"

"Hart, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Kite demanded, just managing to keep his anger under control.

"We were just trying to get you to let up on the overprotectiveness," Hart said, looking sad.

Kite sighed.

"I'm sorry," Hart whispered.

"It's okay," his older brother said after a few minutes. "Just please don't do this again."

"I won't, I promise," Hart replied, hugging Kite.

"Sorry, we just meant for it to be a laugh," Rio said. "We even mixed up some corn syrup, food coloring, and a little flour to make it look like we were bleeding."

"Just swear you'll _never_ pull this again," Ryoga managed to keep his temper.

Rio nodded but then grinned.

"We'll see."

"Rio!"

"Kidding."

...

...

So, how was it? Let me know.

Next chapter: Kite and Hart are spending a quiet evening at home...until they get an uninvited guest...

Until then.


	8. Footsteps

A/N: Here's the new chapter. Enjoy, everyone.

Disclaimer: I am not Shin Yoshida and therefore, I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal.

...

"It's getting pretty late, Hart," Kite said, picking up his little brother. "It's time we get you to bed."

Hart nodded as he rubbed his eyes sleepily.

"Then we can play some more tomorrow, right?" the small bluenette asked.

"Yes," Kite answered with a smile.

The older Tenjo had just finished tucking his brother into bed when he heard a knock at the door.

"I'll be right back," he assured Hart.

As he made his way to the front door, Kite heard the knocking grow louder and more frantic. But when he opened the door...there was nothing there.

Deciding that it was either someone playing a joke or he was just hearing things, Kite shook his head and closed the door.

He had just turned to go back to Hart when he heard the frantic knocking again.

He decided to ignore it.

The knocking grew more and more frantic and louder. It was almost as if someone or something on the other side of the door was trying to break the door down.

"Open the door! OPEN THE DOOR!" a voice shouted.

The green-and-yellow-haired boy turned and ran to Hart's room.

"Hart we have to hide and be very quiet," he whispered. "Someone's here. Someone bad."

Hart whimpered as Kite lifted him in his arms.

"It's okay, I'll make sure they don't find us," his older brother assured him.

As they ran from the room, Kite turned off the lights and hid with Hart in the closet in his room.

He had just closed the door and pulled Hart into his lap when they heard a loud thump.

Kite covered his younger brother's mouth to muffle his whimper as they heard footsteps move through the living room, into the front hall, and slowly entered Kite's room.

They heard the door open and then...silence...

Kite peered under the door to see no feet or any sign that anyone was there.

"Stay here," he mouthed.

Hart nodded, trembling with fear.

Kite looked around and found nothing. No one there. So he searched the rest of the house. And still, he found nothing. No one hiding under the beds or in the closets, all of the windows were closed and the doors were locked.

That night, Kite insisted that Hart sleep in his room. Hart dropped off maybe a few minutes after being tucked in.

As for Kite, he stayed awake through the night, watching, waiting for whoever or whatever that was to come back.

...

...

I hope everyone enjoyed that.

Next chapter: Little Yuma gets separated from Kari while trick-or-treating.

Until then, everyone.


	9. Stranger Danger

A/N: I know I haven't updated in almost a week so here is a new chapter. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

"Yuma! Slow down!"

"Come on, Kari!" nine-year-old Yuma raced up the street before turning around to see his sixteen-year-old sister hurrying to catch up to him. "We gotta hurry or all of the good candy'll be gone!"

"Yuma!" Kari called. "Stop! If you don't wait for me, we'll get separated!"

But it was too late. The energetic boy was already gone.

"Yuma!" the teenager yelled. "Yuma! YUMA!"

...

"I can't believe I lost her," Yuma groaned. "Man, it wouldn't have killed her to keep up."

It was getting dark now, and the streets that had been crowded with children and their parents were now deserted. Most of the people handing out candy had already gone through their entire supply and had now gone back into their houses.

"Well, I guess I won't get anymore candy this year," the red-and-black-haired child sighed before brightening up. "Oh well, if I play my cards right, I can make this last all the way up to Christmas!"

Just as the words left his mouth, he heard footsteps coming toward him.

He turned to see a woman with tangled white hair that fell down to her waist. She was clothed in shabby, dark clothing.

"Hi," Yuma waved, smiling.

The woman said nothing. She just stared at him with cold eyes, black as coal.

Yuma was beginning to get uneasy, which wasn't often for the normally perky nine-year-old.

"Uh...well, I gotta go," he said.

He turned to leave, only for the woman to reach out and clasp his arm with a clawlike hand.

"Hey!" he yelled, pulling his arm back. "Let me go!"

The woman tightened her grip.

"You're not going anywhere," she said in a voice that shook, but at the same time sounded cool and calm. A voice no human being should have.

"Let go!" the little boy screamed. "KARI! KARI, HELP!"

The woman tried to cover his mouth, only for Yuma to swing his candy bag with his free arm and hit her in the stomach.

The woman shrieked and released him.

Yuma ran down the street, closer to the more brightly lit streets.

Before long he saw Kari standing right under a streetlight, still wearing her angel costume.

"Yuma!" she shouted when her gaze landed on him. "Don't you ever do that again! Do you have any idea how worried I was?!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Yuma stammered.

Kari's eyes shifted down to his arm, which was now forming a bruise where the woman had grabbed him.

"What happened?!" the older Tsukumo demanded.

"I...I ran into this weird lady," Yuma answered. "She grabbed me and said I wasn't leaving."

Kari grabbed her little brother's arms and hurried back to their house.

"This is why I told you to stay with me," she said. "It's a full moon tonight, the weirdos are out. And even if that weren't the case, you still shouldn't have run off like that."

"I promise I won't do it again," Yuma gulped as he hurried to keep up.

"You'd better not."

...

...

I hope everyone enjoyed that.

Next chapter: Rio gets a doll as a gift. But Ryoga doesn't like it.


	10. Rio's Doll

A/N: Here's another chapter. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

"Ryoga, look!"

Rio Kamishiro held up a box wrapped in light blue paper and topped with a pink bow.

"Papa gave it to me!" she grinned.

"Okay," Ryoga looked disinterested. "What is it?"

Rio opened it with joy, pulling the paper off, and finally revealing the doll.

The doll had wide, bright blue eyes with a glassy texture, blonde hair, and a big smile and was clothed in an old-fashioner sailor dress.

Ryoga watched as his twin sister hugged the doll and for a moment, he could have sworn that the doll looked at him. But that couldn't be.

Evening came and Rio played with her new doll. Ryoga couldn't understand why he kept feeling uneasy as he watched his sister brush her doll's golden curls.

Then suddenly, when Rio sat the doll down for a moment before leaving the room to get something, Ryoga saw the doll's head turned to face him.

The purple-haired seven-year-old could not understand. Was he sleepy? Was he just seeing things? He had to be. HE HAD TO BE...

"Alright, you two," said their mother. "Time for you to go to bed."

"But I want to play a little more," Rio begged.

"You need to sleep in order to play," replied her mother with a smile.

"Okay, Mama," Rio smiled in return.

...

"Good night, Rio," Ryoga said as his sister entered her room across the hall.

"Good night, Ryoga," Rio answered before carrying her doll into her room with her.

Ryoga was about to close the door when he thought he heard a soft voice whisper " _Night night, big brother."_

He was just imagining it...

 _Right?_

...

...

Well, I hope everyone enjoyed that.

Next chapter: Michael tells his brothers of a scary story he heard in school.

Until then.


	11. Nocnitsa

A/N: Here's another chapter. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

The front door to the house had never been more inviting.

Rain was now coming down in massive sheets as the three Arclight brothers raced to the front porch of their house. Thomas, the middle child, got to the door first.

Christopher, the eldest, reached the porch only a few seconds later with the youngest brother, Michael, in his arms.

After unlocking the front door and entering the house, Thomas ran to his room to change out of his wet clothes. Chris set Michael down, removing the child's wet coat before crossing the room to the table next to the couch in the living room. On the table, beside the lamp, lay a note.

"Father won't be home until this weekend," the silver-haired teen informed his younger brother. "He said that Ms. Inglehart will check in on us every now and then."

Ms. Ophelia Inglehart was their neighbor, who occasionally checked in on the three boys whenever Byron went off on expeditions with his partner, Dr. Faker.

"Go change into something dry," he instructed when he noticed that Michael was still wearing his wet clothes.

...

"I heard this really creepy story today at school," Michael said.

About half an hour had passed since they got home. Chris was sitting in his chair, Thomas and Michael were sitting on cushions on the floor beside the fireplace, and Aspen, the family dog, was curled up on his dog bed in the corner, fast asleep.

"What was it?" asked Thomas, who had a liking for scary stories.

"It was about this thing called Noc...nit...sa, yeah Nocnitsa," Michael said. "This one boy in my class was telling us about it at lunch. It's this creepy old Slavic myth."

"Yeah, yeah, it's creepy, we get it," Thomas was getting impatient. "Get to the point."

"Give him the chance to," Chris said.

"Well, Nocnitsa's supposed to be a kind of vampire," Michael told his brothers. "She mostly goes after kids. She sneaks into their rooms at night and sits on their chest. Then she tries to take their life energy and if she takes too much, the kids die."

"So do they turn into Nocnitsas too?" Thomas looked intrigued.

"No, they just die," Michael said. "At least that's what the boy told me. He said the only way to defend yourself from her is to have something iron with you because iron hurts her. One way you can know if she's coming is she smells like dirt and moss because she comes from the forest."

"That's nonsense," Chris shook his head. "I'll admit there's all sorts of unexplained phenomenon out there, but I've never heard of anything like that."

"It's still scary," Michael frowned.

"Not really," Thomas snickered. "Michael, you're such a wimp if you're scared of that."

"Thomas, that's enough," Chris warned.

The ten-year-old fell silent almost immediately.

"Now Michael, I don't want you dwelling on things like that," Chris said, turning his attention to Michael. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, big brother," the pinknette nodded.

...

Little Michael yawned and laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling. He still couldn't get the story of the terrible life-draining thing he had heard about. He tried to reassure himself that it was just a story. Besides, his older brothers' rooms were right beside his. Thomas was across the hall from him and Chris's room was right between the two at the end of the hall.

Suddenly, he was overcome by the smell of dirt...

He tried to sit up, but only to find that he could not move...or breathe...

Scared, the child opened his eyes to see something sitting on his chest. It was no bigger than he was, though it certainly felt like it was quite heavy. The eight-year-old Arclight noticed that from the waist down, there was nothing.

The thing let out a soft but horrific screech and stared at Michael with its eyes. Those eyes...they were white...completely white, no pupils, no irises, just pure white that glowed eerily in the darkness of the room.

"No..." Michael finally found his voice. "Please...no..."

He felt himself growing weaker. This was how it was going to end...this thing was going to take him from his wonderful, loving family...he would never grow up...he...

"Michael! Michael!" he heard Chris shouting. "Michael, wake up!"

The youngest Arclight woke with a start.

"Chris..." he threw himself against his brother and began to shake.

"Calm down, Michael," Chris whispered. "It was just a dream."

...

...

Next chapter: The Arclights and the Tenjos go camping. What could possibly go wrong?

Until then.


	12. Camping

A/N: Here is the new chapter. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

"This is fun," Michael said after finishing the last bite of his s'more.

After all of the stressful events of the last few months, the Arclight brothers and the Tenjo brothers had decided to go camping together.

They could still see the bright lights of Heartland City off in the distance.

"Yes, it is," Chris agreed.

Kite gave his friend a slight smile. He knew Chris was still feeling guilty about all of the time he had missed with his brothers and was trying to make up for it now.

Thomas was lying stretched out on his sleeping bag.

"It's nice out here," he said, staring up at the star-filled sky. "It's been so long since we were able to relax and look out at the stars."

"That's true," Chris agreed, his guilt now a little more obvious.

Kite was about to say something to comfort his friend when suddenly Hart cried out "Brother, listen!"

All conversation stopped and the five listened. They could just make out the sound of voices not too far away.

Suddenly, they could see the faint silhouette of a person just at the end of the spot they had chosen as their campsite. It looked like a man.

The man stepped closer until he was within the light emanating from the campfire. He was wearing a thin black robe-like garment. He looked around Chris's age and he wore an expression of little to no emotion.

"Can we help you with something?" Chris asked coolly.

"Are the five of you staying here?" the man questioned.

"No, we just decided to sit here for five minutes and then pack up and drive away," Thomas sneered.

"Thomas," Chris warned.

The man's eyes narrowed.

"You only intend to stay here tonight, yes?" he demanded.

Sensing that it would be best to just agree and avoid a confrontation, Chris nodded.

"Yes," the silvernette answered.

The man nodded and walked back into the woods, where the group could see a number of others, also clothed in the odd garment despite the fact that it was growing cold.

When they disappeared, Hart hugged Kite's arm.

"I'm scared, big brother," he whispered.

"They're just a couple of weirdos that are trying to scare us," Thomas snorted. "Like they have any right to tell us how long we can or can't stay here."

Michael looked worriedly in the direction the stranger had left.

"Still, that was kind of creepy," the pink-haired teen murmured.

...

For the next half-hour, the Tenjos and the Arclights tried to put the stranger out of their minds, but they kept feeling like they were being watched.

After another half-hour, they retreated into their tents and heard whispers coming from the woods.

Without a word, Chris and Kite hurriedly packed the group's things. Chris was never more grateful than now to have the bracelets that he had invented to harness the power of the Crests he and his brothers had possessed not long ago.

He opened a portal and the five hurried through it.

"I don't know about the rest of you," Thomas said when they had returned home. "But I'm never going camping again."

...

...

I hope everyone enjoyed that.

Next chapter: Chris, Thomas, and Michael see a very frightening creature.

Until then.


	13. The Thing

A/N: Here is the new chapter. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

Christopher Arclight was protective when it came to his little brothers, Thomas and Michael. Their mother had died when Michael was a baby and their father was often away on business, so for the most part, Chris took care of the younger boys.

Thomas and Michael both looked up to their older brother and knew that he would never let anything harm either one of them.

On this particular night, the three brothers all lay on a hill at the edge of their yard, staring up at the stars.

"Do you think Father's looking at the stars too right now?" Michael asked.

Chris smiled.

"I think so," he answered.

Thomas yawned and rubbed his eyes before quickly sitting up and staring at the old field across the road. The field was spread out just in front of the woods.

"What is it, Thomas?" asked Chris.

"I thought I saw something moving around in the field," Thomas answered, tilting his head to the side, looking confused.

"It might just be some kind of animal," his older brother said.

Thomas nodded.

A moment later, the thing was moving around again. This time Chris saw it too. The thing moved around somewhat like an animal, but its appearance was vaguely human.

Then, it disappeared.

Chris, Thomas, and Michael all craned their necks, eyes scanning over the field, trying to locate where the creature could have gone.

Before long, the thing came out again, it made it to the edge of the road before just fading out.

Then it appeared a third time and started toward the Arclights.

By this point, all three brothers were scared.

"What is that?" Michael cried out.

"I don't know," Chris answered, grabbing both of his brothers' wrists. "But we're not sticking around to find out."

As he turned to run, he noticed the thing had somehow reappeared right in front of them. It was dressed in black pants and a yellow shirt with black sleeves.

The thing stared down at Thomas with eyes sunk deep into its head. Thomas backed away, staring at its rotting flesh falling off in patches, exposing the bone underneath, and its tangled burgundy hair with sickly yellow bangs.

The middle Arclight screamed and ran with his brothers, but the thing followed them.

They didn't stop running until they reached their house. They stared out the window at the thing.

The thing stayed out on the road for a while, then it just disappeared.

The next day, Thomas began to get very sick and Chris took him to the hospital.

Unfortunately, even with the doctor's help, the red-and-yellow-haired child's condition grew steadily worse; the doctors had determined that it was some kind of infection that had set in. Thomas was confined to bed and seemed to be starting to waste away.

The child's heartbroken family could do nothing to help him.

...

After three weeks, Thomas lost his fight and finally died.

The night he passed away, Chris and Michael both said that their brother looked just like the thing they had seen that night several weeks back.

...

...

Next chapter: Yuma and his friends go on a class trip to a haunted house.

Until then.


	14. The White Lady

A/N: Here is the new chapter. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

"This is gonna be awesome, you guys!" Yuma exclaimed as he and his friends entered the building.

"It's so hard to believe that this place is supposed to be haunted," Tori said, looking around at the house. The house was styled similar to the Southern plantation houses they had seen in their history books.

"In the end, it's not surprising that it's haunted," said Caswell as he snapped a picture with his camera. "After all, this place is so beautiful, I can't see anyone willing to leave it. I might even haunt it when I become a ghost."

"Alright, settle down everyone," said their teacher. "Now please pay attention to Mr. Warren."

Mr. Warren, their tour guide thanked her and began to address the class.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if you'll follow me this way," he said. "The parlor is right through this hall."

When they reached the parlor, one red-haired girl raised her hand.

"Yes?" asked Mr. Warren.

"Who is that lady in the portrait?" the girl questioned. "The one with the black hair and the white dress."

"I was just about to get to that. That was Marie Carlton," Mr. Warren explained. "Also known as the White Lady. She is reputed to still wander the house and the grounds surrounding it."

"What happened to her?" asked Cathy.

"It all began back in 1822," the tour guide started. "William Carlton married Marie Bell and purchased the land here. As you probably saw when you came in here, Mr. Carlton grew a number of crops here. This soon made him quite wealthy and he built this house for Marie. For about seven years, the two were very happy together."

"So what went wrong?" Bronk inquired.

"William wanted children," Mr. Warren answered him. "But Marie only had one child, a son whom she named William after his father, who died in her arms after only four short weeks of life. But children dying during infancy was not an uncommon occurrence in those days. But when she had no more children, William began an affair with her handmaid Lavinia."

"What's an affair?" Yuma asked, looking baffled.

Tori sighed with undisguised frustration.

"It means that he was sneaking around with her, acting as if he was married to her instead of Marie," she told him.

"Exactly," nodded the guide. "Marie was so angry and hurt that she sent Lavinia away and confronted William, who lost his temper and killed her during the fight. And to this day, she has been said to still wander here. She has reportedly been seen in the room that was once the baby's room, and the gardens outside."

As he continued to explain the history of the house and all of the different people who had lived in it over the last few hundred years, Yuma thought he saw a woman with black hair that was braided with the braids wrapped around her head twice and she wore an old-fashioned white dress...just like the woman in the portrait.

...

...

Next chapter: Rio Kamishiro sees something horrifying when she visits her brother.

Until then.


	15. Glowing Eyes

A/N: Here is the new chapter. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does.

...

Rio Kamishiro sat beside the hospital bed where her twin brother Ryoga rested. It was nearly midnight and she had been by her brother's side for the last five hours and she was tired. But she didn't want to leave Ryoga.

She sat up with him for another hour before she finally decided to go to the cafeteria to get some coffee to keep herself awake.

As the blue-haired girl left the room and walked down the dimly lit hallway, she saw something out of the corner of her eyes. A shadowy figure roughly the height of a person, with gleaming lights where their eyes should have been. Glowing eyes.

The thing stopped for a moment and stared at her before turning and hurrying up the hall toward the direction of Ryoga's room.

Rio followed it, racing back to make sure that whatever that was did not enter her brother's room.

When she opened the door and dashed inside, she heard the heart monitor flatline.

She gasped as she looked over to Ryoga...he was dead...his eyes wide open, staring at everything. Yet seeing nothing...

...

...

I hope everyone enjoyed that. Short, I know. But the next few will be longer.

Next chapter: Michael Arclight runs into a strange woman on his way home. (no, not the one from Stranger Danger)

Until then.


	16. Kuchisake-Onna

A/N: Here is the new chapter. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal or any of the characters, Shin Yoshida does. I also do not own the Japanese urban legend of Kuchisake-Onna (the Slit-mouthed woman).

...

Michael Arclight felt as though he were walking on air as he left school.

Finally everything was alright. His family was happy once again, he had friends, and their world was at peace.

He had just bid Yuma and the others goodbye for the day and was on his way home to meet his brothers. Thomas, still known in the Dueling Circuit as Quattro was arriving home from his latest tour today and the pinknette couldn't wait to see his brother again. The older Arclight had been gone for almost a month and Michael had missed him.

It was then that he noticed a woman with long black hair, a beige trenchcoat, and a surgical mask walking down the street toward him.

A surgical mask...

At first Michael was a little put off by this, but it was cold and flu season, countless people walked the streets wearing them during this time to avoid spreading their illness to everyone else.

The woman came closer, so the fifteen-year-old Chronomoly duelist stepped to the side to let her pass when she stopped in front of him.

"Am I beautiful?" she asked in a calm, breathy voice.

Michael smiled.

"Why yes," he said kindly. "You're lovely."

The woman's eyes narrowed and she tore off the mask with a growl. Michael gasped. The woman's mouth was slashed from ear, her tongue hung out of her mouth, and her teeth were set in a permanent, sickly smile, one that made the smirks Quattro used to display look tame in comparison.

"Am I beautiful _**NOW**_?!" she snarled, glaring at him.

Michael jumped back.

It was at that very moment that he realized the identity of the woman who stood before him. Kuchisake-Onna, the woman Yuma had told him a story about once. Legend had it that she walked the streets of Japan, asking people if they thought she was beautiful. If they said yes, she would cut their mouths to look like hers. However if they said no, they would be killed on the spot.

He remembered Yuma saying the alleged way to keep from suffering either one of those horrific fates.

"I would say you're about average," the youngest Arclight said politely. "What about me? Do you think I'm beautiful?"

The woman stared at him, then straight ahead before turning and walking away, staring at the ground, as if she were confused.

As soon as she was out of sight, Michael raced for home.

" _I_ _f I lived in a normal family, there's no way Father or my brothers would believe this_ ' he thought. ' _But after all of the things we've gone through this last year, I'm sure they'd believe **anything**_.'

...

...

I hope that was enjoyable.

Next chapter: Another Japanese urban legend.


End file.
